Inn Description
Page up to date as of 28thh Febuary - Spring 1217
Surroundings
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The Forest
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The forest surrounding Animus Silvae is thick and dense, with
a few small villages on the edge and a couple in the forest itself that we
get our food from. One of these, to the north-east, holds the sacred well
of St. Deimos, a recently canonised saint (1207) and companion of St.
Kiril. Several foresters' trails lead through the forest, making travel
somewhat easier for those who know the routes. To the north lies
swampland, to the south the great city of Kiev. To the south-east, nearer
than Kiev, lies the great city of Chernigov. En route to Kiev lies the
medium-sized city of Liubech. We buy our supplies from Kiev because
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It is a greater trading centre, so that more weird stuff is available, and
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We have contacts there (Deunan's cousins) to be our factors and not
ask inconvenient questions.
There is a small mountain range to the south-west.
- Auras
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The forest itself has no aura, though small pockets, often regios,
are prevalent throughout, including a known gateway to Arcadia and a
Shamanic regio of Magic 5.
- The Road
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There are two rough roads through the forest, one from the
northwest and one from the northeast, which merge to form a single road to
the south. The journey takes at least a day and a half, often more.
Animus Silvae lies roughly in the centre, providing a convenient resting
place for travellers.
From the Outside
- Defences
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Some twenty paces around the inn lies a crude wooden stockade,
surrounded itself by a five foot deep ditch designed to act both for
defence and as a firebreak. The gate of the stockade, where there is no
ditch, is reinforced with metal bolts but is still easily the most
vulnerable point.
- The Inn
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The Anvil Inn is a two-storey high stone building, the stone
having been brought from the nearby mountains. A painted wooden sign
hangs outside the great wooden door and there are several dusty glass
windows. The doorknocker is a heavy metal affair and the sound it makes
could wake the dead. But not Gwyntar...
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Round the back of the Inn can be found a collection of odd barrels,
seemingly placed there for no reason, and a large wooden hut. Oh, and a
four storey black tower, set back into the forest but within the
firebreak.
Deunan's Tower
Created by Artur for Deunan in 1211, the tower has four
above-ground levels, a lower ground floor and three basement levels. The
"ground floor" is set five feet *above* the ground, for defensive reasons
(a short stone staircase goes up to the front door). The lower ground
floor is hence half above the ground and half below it,and has no windows
or doors.
The lower ground floor is used for military stores, the upper and middle
basement levels are used for mundane stores, and the lower basement level
consists of secure cells (which are of course be used for stores most of
the time)
Two separate stairwells lead up and down from the ground floor, and all
access to the stairwells is through the Phalanx's guard room. The rest of
the ground floor is occupied by the Phalanx (both squads). The
stairwells are separated from the individual levels by a short landing and
heavy door.
(One can get to the roof of the tower without having to pass through
Deunan's Sanctum).
The first floor is occupied by Briareos, Zoya and their four children. The
second floor is Deunan's living quarters (no Sanctum marker) and the third
floor is mostly filled with her laboratory (Sanctum marker). The roof is used
as an observation post by the Grogs on watch. The tower is always
pleasantly warm, thanks to Deunan's "Heating the Wizard's Tower" CrIg
spell.
- The Covenant
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For those who can see through the powerful illusion placed upon it
(which includes all magi), there seem to be another three stories to the
inn, with more and cleaner windows. A stone spiral staircase leading to the
top floor may also be seen at the back, the collection of barrels acting as
the bottom of the staircase.
- Artur's Hut
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The huge hall at the back is the former Sanctum of Artur ex Bjornaer, now
Renounced by the Order. It is now the Sanctum of Philippa
ex Guernicus. There is a small antechamber with a small table and a
couple of seats, marked off by a great fur curtain and Philippa's sanctum
marker. Behind the curtain is the lab, which is an odd mixture of
Philippa and Artur's preferences in lab equipment. A number of odd stones
are scattered around the place and there are two large wooden seats. At
the back is a hollowed out pit covered in fresh hay, designed for a 20'
long bear to sleep in, but now used to hold two horses and a maga. It
is next to a large fireplace.
- Vitenka's Lab
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The former underground lab of Vitenka ex Miscellenea,
accessible only by fox-sized creatures or smaller, is somewhere around
here.
The Inside - The Ground Floor
- The Antechamber
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This moderately large room is where guests are welcomed
to the Inn. It has a wooden desk at the back where the account book is
kept chained. Doors lead through to the bar and the staircase to the
second floor.
- The Hall
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Taking up about half of the ground floor, the hall consists of
a long wooden table with benches to the side, as well as quite a number of
smaller tables and seats. Drink and food are served to the guests here.
Doors lead to the antechamber and the kitchens.
- The Kitchens
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The large kitchens take up the rest of the
ground floor. Dominated by the egocentric, goulash-obsessed Hungarian
chief cook Sacaks Istvan, a number of pots of the finest goulash are
generally boiling at any one time. A great enchanted pot, constantly full
of warm stew, is over the huge fireplace. There is a barrel of beer by
the doors to the hall, for easy access. Storerooms at the back hold the
food, much more beer and several casks of wine and vodka. The serving
staff sleep here at night.
The First Floor
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On the west side of the first floor is the large dormitory, equipped with
blankets and sleeping mats, where most of the guests spend their night.
The rest of the floor is made up almost entirely of private rooms,
including the innkeeper's own, some 10 in total. There is also a small,
sound-proofed room used by the magi for private consultations.
- The lift
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Concealed in one of the private rooms and usually guarded by
two grogs is the magical lift up to the covenant itself.
The Second Floor
- The Antechamber
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Coming off the lift, you enter the Antechamber, a large
room with several finely carved pieces of furniture, including benches,
seats and a large round wooden table. There are doors through to the
recreation room and the Council chamber, as well as stairs up to the third
floor.
- The Recreation Room
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To the east, featuring Certamen practice area, a hot
shower (installed by Deunan), light reading material (including the
Metamorphoses, the Aeneid, and several pieces of pornographic literature),
dice, and dartboard.
- The Council Chamber
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A massive room, taking up half the floor, with a
huge marble table dominating the centre of the room. Elaborate
paintings, created by Vitenka ex Miscellenea, hang on the walls,
supposedly 'brightening' the place up
Oi! Most of those portraits are very good
There are eighteen stone seats
which can be adjusted for the height and width of the sitter, thankfully
for Artur, and may be shifted around the room with a minimum of effort,
turning into pillars when unused. A large, locked box holds half the
covenant's vis. One door leads through to the library
- The Library
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To the west, next to the Antechamber, is the Library,
featuring a couple more of Vitenka's tapestries, a series of bookcases,
mainly empty, as we don't have that many books, a chest featuring scrolls
of spells created or written up by covenant members, and a chest
containing the other half of the vis supply.
The Third Floor
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This floor is made up of long corridors and three laboratories. Each
laboratory has a small antechamber, then the Magus' sanctum marker, then
the lab itself.
- Revan's Lab
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The lab to the west, formally that of Andras ex Miscellenea,
is provisionally assigned to Revan ex Criamon.
- Tenar's Rooms
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Formally those of Deunan ex Flambeau, they are now
inhabited by Tenar, Gwyntar's apprentice, who has a lot of superbly
crafted furniture. Every square inch of the walls and ceiling is
exquisitely decorated with brightly-painted frescoes, executed by Deunan's
husband Shiro (an artist by profession).
I'm going to need to borrow her lab occasionally, if
no-one minds?
- Anatols Lab
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Preserved and untouched is the lab of Anatol ex Jerbiton,
currently on a long vacation from the covenant nobody is quite willing to
see what's in there.
The Fourth Floor
- The Grog Chambers
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Taking up roughly half of the floor, this is where the
Lost Ones live, argue, practice etc. It is connected to the rest of the
floor by a door installed by Artur ex Bjornaer, while the other exit is
via the invisible staircase.
- Gwyntar / Dmitri's lab
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A huge lab, split in two with magically created
walls, this is a strange gravityless environment featuring many floating
rocks, suspending potions, etc. The west side is Gwyntar's, the right
Dmitri's.
[Reality decided upon communally - but document drafted up by
Palmer]